As I complete my first official week as an intern for Uganda Development and Health Associates, my transition has been seamless. However, through my previous months of meetings and learning from peers, leaders in the organization, and fellow interns, I can confidently say that my perspective on international healthcare systems has undergone the most transition. Upon virtually meeting with the intern director from Florida to Uganda, I truly realized how public health crises and their intricacies within community, government, and healthcare differ around the world.
With that being said, I think the most challenging part about transitioning into this internship has been learning about the health-related struggles that populations within the communities experience in addition to the circumstances that play a role in their overall wellbeing. My intern director gave me a comprehensive understanding of the major social determinants of health in the communities he works with, and the most impactful aspect of such process was realizing that the contributors to the major health issues within these populations are easily avoidable and treatable but only with proper education and resources that are not as readily available as we, living in the United States, are fortunate to have at our own disposal.
Throughout the continued duration of this internship, I hope to broaden my understanding of the complexities of healthcare systems on a global scale while learning more about the differing social determinants of health and their impacts on varying populations around the world.
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